Friday, August 1st, 2008, 12:00 am

Here are the current standby policies of the major carriers as of 07/31 and incorporates the policy changes by AA, Frontier and USAirways that have occurred during July.

Prediction: Traditional free unconfirmed standby will be the next victim of $150 oil.

AA:
-Confirmed standby is available for flights departing the same day as your original flight for $35 $50. This can be confirmed within 12 hours of the departure of the new flight. Confirmed standby requires special inventory (“E”) to be available on the new flight which will require a phone call to AA to check on and confirm.

-Regular unconfirmed standby is still available for free for flights departing on the same day as the original flight.

-Standby is only available for travel within the U.S., Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Canada and the Caribbean.

Airtran:
-Confirmed standby is available only at the airport for flights on the same day as your original flight for $25.

-Regular unconfirmed standby is still available for free for flights departing on the same day as the original flight.

-Standby is available systemwide.

Continental:
-Confirmed standby is available for flights departing within 24 hours of your original flight for $50. However, this can only be confirmed within 12 hours of the departure of the new flight. Confirmed standby requires inventory available in the fare class that you are currently booked into. As long as any seats are available, Continental will open up availability in all fare classes at exactly 12 hours before their flights to allow for confirmed standby changes.

-Confirmed standby is $25 for Continental Gold and Platinum elites.

-It is free to be added to a regular unconfirmed standby list, but you will be charged $50 if you clear the list ($25 for Continental Gold and Platinum elites.)

-Standby is available systemwide.

Delta:
-Confirmed standby is available for flights departing the same day as your original flight for $50. This can only be confirmed within 3 hours of the departure of the new flight. Confirmed standby required special inventory to be available on the new flight which will require a phone call to Delta.

-Standby is only available for travel within the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Frontier:

-Confirmed and unconfirmed standby is now only available for Summit level elite members.

-Changes may only be made for flights departing the same day as your original flight by paying the difference between the fare paid and the walk-up fare for the new flight. The $150 change fee will be waived for same day flight changes.

-Confirmed standby is available for flights departing the same day as your original flight for $50 at the airport within 4 hours of the departure of the new flight.

-Regular unconfirmed standby is free for flights departing the same day as your original flight.

-Standby is available systemwide.

Jetblue:
-Confirmed standby is available beginning at midnight in the time zone of your original flight to change to any other flight on the same day for $40.

-Regular unconfirmed standby is available for the flight prior to your original flight for free. If you are flying on the first flight of the day then you may use unconfirmed standby to go on the flight right after your original flight for free. If there is only one flight between your city pairs then you may use unconfirmed standby to go on the flight the day before your original flight for free.

-Standby is available systemwide.

Midwest:

-Confirmed standby is available for flights departing the same day as the original flight for $35 at the airport within 3 hours of the departure of the new flight.

-Regular unconfirmed standby is free for flights departing the same day as the original flight.

-Standby is available systemwide.

Northwest:
-Confirmed standby may or may not be available for select flights only when you initially checkin online, for the same day as the original flight for $25. The program is called FlyNow and nobody at Northwest really knows what it’s all about or how it works. Good luck with that one.

-Regular unconfirmed standby is $25 for flights departing earlier on the same day as your original flight.

-Regular unconfirmed standby is free for all Skyteam elites.

-Standby is only available within the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands

Southwest:

-Southwest does not have Standby. Southwest never charges a fee for ticket changes, but you will have to pay the difference in fare.

United:

-Confirmed standby is available for flights departing the same day as your original flight for $75. This can only be confirmed within 3 hours of the departure of the new flight. It can be confirmed over the phone or at the airport. Confirmed standby requires inventory to be available in your original booking class or in “H.”

-Regular unconfirmed standby is still available for free for flights departing on the same day as the original flight.

-Standby is only available within the U.S.

Regular unconfirmed standby is still available for free for flights departing on the same day as the original flight.

USAirways:

-Confirmed standby is available only at the airport for flights departing the same day as the original flight for $25 $50 within the US48, Latin America, the Caribbean, Canada and Alaska.

-Regular unconfirmed standby is free, but is only available if confirmed standby is not available.

-Standby is not available to Hawaii or Europe.

Virgin America:

-Confirmed standby is available for flights departing the same day as the original flight for $25 at the airport only.

-Regular unconfirmed standby is free for flights departing the same day as the original flight, but must be requested at the airport before the departure of your original flight.

Gate agents can not waive stand-by fees without cause. If your ticketed or connecting flight is running late, gate agents could place you on an earlier or even a non-stop flight. It’s always a good idea to be nice to gate agents, they never hear good news.

When I tried to fly standby (on a flight that left one hour earlier than mine) on USAirways last week they told me it would be $50 (for a flight from Charlotte to DC). I asked 3 people at 3 different counters.

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